Maybach removed from price lists as 2013 death nears

The drawn-out death of ultra-luxury German brand Maybach lurched forward overnight, with Mercedes-Benz USA removing the flagship range from its 2013 model year price list.

The word “discontinued” appears next to the names of the five Maybach models previously offered in the US, which spanned from the US$376,300 ($357,900) ‘entry-level’ Maybach 57 to the US$1.38 million ($1.31 million) range-topping Maybach Landaulet.

Daimler CEO Dr Dieter Zetsche confirmed the brand’s decision to discontinue the Maybach line-up from 2013 in November after coming to the conclusion that its core Mercedes brand had better sales potential at the pointy end of the market in the long term.

Mercedes-Benz Australia stopped taking orders for the Maybach at the beginning of this year, ending a venture that saw just 13 vehicles sold across the country in eight years.

Three variants of the twin-turbocharged V12-powered Maybach were offered locally, with the base model nudging the seven-figures and flagship topping the range at $1.15 million.

Daimler will conclude Maybach production in April 2013, satisfying the last of the global orders for the limousine that was originally designed to take on the BMW-owned Rolls-Royce and Volkswagen Group’s Bentley, but ultimately failed to capture the imaginations of the world’s millionaires.

The all-new 2013 Mercedes-Benz S-Class is set to fill the void left by Maybach, with the manufacturer reportedly planning six different body styles and wheelbases, including an S600 Pullman as the super-exclusive flagship.